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"So what you're saying," Farold said, "is stay around people so I can watch them, but keep away lest they seeback here, where everybody will be trying to catchagain, and Farold took to the air "Just go," Selwyn told him "Keep out of the ale barrels" He opened the back door, then went to get the basin of ater to du he noticed when he stepped outside was that Farold had not floay but was perched on the open door, chirping a bad i Then Selwyn sahy Anora, too, was just e a basin of ater into the alley He had not seen her in the tavern today; he had not seen her since the day he'd been dragged out of her father's house to the burial cave

Now, even though she had her back to hiet his voice to work This turned out to be good, because in that extra uise his voice "Hello," he said in the throaty whisper that - if it didn't exactly sound like a girl's voice - at least didn't sound quite like a ood a out to end up on his feet and legs Hastily she righted the basin, though there couldn't have been much water left inside She , for she just stood there, looking at hiht spilling out froht of her left Selwyn breathless Suddenly everything was clear to hiator to be saddled with Sweet Anora would behis innocence He knew he'd have to be careful, so as not to frighten her But he was sure, once he explained all that had happened, she would be eager to help him

He turned so that he could du her, and at the same time he started to work out ould be the best way to tell her all that he needed to tell her

Without warning, a bucketful of cold, greasy water hit his back Selwyn gasped in surprise and whirled to find Anora had upended her basin over hinificant amount left in the bottom

Even Farold was stunned into silence, his beak parted but his song cut off uise his voice, but cold and surprise h all on its own

"How dare you coht And she believes I'ht that she didn't believe in his innocence left him speechless It was another fortunate delay, for she continued, "You slut, you harlot, you worthless piece of garbage"

"But" Selwyn had no idea where to go to fro his arht hold of the edge of the basin as she started toabout?"

' "What are you talking about?'" Anora"Don't play innocent with me Your mother told ave up trying to wrest the basin out of Selwyn's grip

"When?" Selwyn de in the tavern, and Anora's mother had only co his real ht in meals for the prisoner "When did our uessed what Selas thinking "Not today, stupid," she hissed "More than a week ago Yourback home from the convent soon And when irl to learn refined manners and that you were rather old to be sent to the nuns anyway, your one Well, you ruined everything, you horrid little slut I could have been the daughter of the headman and the wife of the wealthiest merchant in Penryth Everyone would have enviedBut I had to call off the betrothal because of you, and e How could I possiblyhis bastard and that child would always be the firstborn instead of one of mine?"

Selas left stunned by this sudden flood of entle Anora

"But now Farold is dead," Anora said, "which I consider very lucky forclose - he was sure - to taking several fingers with it "I'd consider it luckier still if you ended up dead, too" She turned her back, her hair whipping across his face, and she stamped her feet all the way back into her house Then she sla behind her

Slowly Selwyn turned to face the door of the tavern He crooked his finger at Farold, half expecting that - if his face showed half of what he felt - Farold would prefer Elswyth's company to his

But Farold followed him back into the tavern's kitchen

' "And Farold wasn't even too bad-looking,'" Farold gruh that were the worst of what Anora had said

"She called off the betrothal?" Selwyn asked fro to keep his hands off Farold's little neck "I kept asking, 'Is there anything you can think of that I should know?' and you didn't think to mention that Anora canceled the betrothal? Are there any other little details you've left out, like - for exa to kill you'? Maybe you forgot to , and in his own voice He took several deep breaths

"What difference could ityour circu-out? Besides" - Farold ruffled his feathers - "I didn't think she ht she'd get over it"

"What?" Selwyn asked in disbelief

"She never actually said at the tiet I didn't know that Kendra - falsely, re a child It's not ru before Farold had been killed, when he'd seen Anora in thewrong between her and Farold I WASN'T mistaken, he told hi in Bowden's house, Anora had denied it, leaving him to sound like a fool - or a liar He also re she'd done

"There's probably so else you should know," Farold said

"Oh?" Selwyn said testily "What?"

"She was so angry that she was al I know she said was 'Just wait until I tell ht settle in Bowden knew - or thought he knew - that Farold had disgraced his daughter with Kendra Another angry father

But it was hard to think of Bohen his entle Anora Who, apparently, settled between hi which was theto switch back when that arrangerief-stricken betrothed Who illing to call Kendra names and try to beat her with a washbasin Who at the very least had just ill-wished him, and maybe even threatened him

He looked down at his hands, at the red welts caused when Anora had snatched the basin away It seeuessed Slowly he held up fingers seven and eight - two more suspects to add to the list of possible murderers: Anora and her father

Chapter Nineteen

It had been so long since he had slept in a bed instead of on the hard ground that Selwyn overslept Kendra's parents must have decided he needed the rest, for they didn't wake hiht out, and he could s - proof that Wilona, at least, was already hard at work